I am what's called a slipware potter which means that I decorate the pots I have thrown (generally the day before) with liquid clay (slip) that has been coloured with oxides (copper oxide for green, cobalt oxide for blue etc). The slip can be applied to the pot in a variety of ways, from very fluid to almost the consistency of toothpaste. The pot and the surface decoration can then be altered to enhance the decorative effect, such as scratching through the surface of the slip to the underlying clay (called sgraffito). By using different (coloured) clays (mainly terracotta in my case) the variations and permutations are therefore numerous.

I specialise in functional pottery and very much enjoy making pots that can be used for everyday purposes (mugs, jugs etc) but also for those moments of sharing food and drink with family and friends. I therefore make a lot of "tapas" style pottery such as dip bowls (single, double, central) and shallow serving dishes. They are great fun to make and even more fun to use!

I occasionally get away from my beloved potter's wheel and hand build - generally when I want to make something that is rectangular! It's a nice distraction from what can be quite frantic activity on the wheel.

I have also started creating raku and barrel fired pieces that push the abstract patterns and designs further.

What can visitors to the studio expect to see? Clay; a lot of clay! Hopefully, some of it will be in a transformational state of becoming a pot! I’ll have some pots in various stages of creation – some being thrown, others being turned to remove excess clay, and finally some in the process of being decorated with the coloured liquid clay (slip). There will also be finished pieces for visitors to see how the raw versions look once they've had a glaze coating applied.

Visitors will also be able to see where I run my pottery classes and, just across the courtyard the studio where my wife (Sarah) runs her fused glass and enamelling classes (sarahgreeningglass.co.uk).